FRAMINGHAM — Every day, except for Sundays, 92-year-old Lou Cintolo Sr. walks across the street from his home to the store he opened 75 years ago.

Cintolo’s Market has changed over the years, but one thing remains the same — Cintolo and his wife of 58 years, Mary, are always there to greet their customers.

Except for two years while he served in the Army Air Corps as a radar navigator - his sister watched over the store - Cintolo has been at the helm ever since he opened on Sept. 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland. He was 17.

And in 2014, Cintolo can’t image doing anything else.

"I am turning 93 years old," he said Saturday morning. "I don’t want to stay at home and look at the TV."

His favorite part of running the store is seeing his customers, many of whom have grown up right before his eyes, getting penny candy and soda as children from the market.

"I like to see people I used to take care of when they were young," he said.

One of them is Steve Toto, 55, who now helps at the cash register.

"I used to come in as a kid," he said. "I can remember coming here and buying baseball cards."

Back in the day, Cintolo would likely be wearing an apron and his signature bow tie.

Cintolo was competing against several other stores on the street, but he set himself apart by offering meat, something not everyone had. All the stores were vying for business from employees at the nearby Dennison Manufacturing Co. and General Motors.

"In those days, there weren’t many meat cutters," said Mary Cintolo. And as an added bonus, Cintolo would deliver straight to his customers' refrigerators.

"They would say ‘Lou, what am I having for supper?’ They didn’t know themselves because it was up to me," he said. "They would give me the keys and I’d leave the meat in the refrigerator."

Before opening his own store, Cintolo worked at C&G, which rented the space from his father. He made $3 a week. Once C&G closed, he decided to open his own shop.

"I had no money, but my dad owned the building," he said. "My father said ‘The building is yours; do what you want with it.’"

He expanded the market after returning from war.

Cintolo suffered from a stroke 18 years ago and can no longer cut meat. Most people now buy lottery tickets, soda or a snack at the small shop — and talk about life.

Mary Cintolo said the store is mostly a gathering place now, and is filled with old photos and memories from over the years.

Page 2 of 2 - "Things are different now," she said. "The No. 1 things is the big businesses. You can’t compete with them."

Their son, Mike, says the business was built on treating people well, being honest, making good decisions and living within their means.

"He’s been doing it doing it for so long, so why change?" he said. "It’s got to be helping him to stay active and be involved."

Lou Cintolo Jr., another son, says he hopes the store is open for many more years.

"We want to keep the tradition," he said. "I’d like to see it hit its 100th anniversary."

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the store will hold a celebration on Tuesday, Sept. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cintolo's famous sausage sandwiches will be on hand. The market is located at 371 Grant St.

Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 508-626-4338 or jphelps@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JPhelps_MW.